Twice, in 1971 and in 2010, the 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe now co-owned by Peter and Merle Mullin and Rob and Melani Walton set the bar as the world’s most expensive automobile. One of just four examples built, Jean Bugatti’s design masterpiece can usually be seen at the Mullin Automotive Museum or, most recently, the Petersen Automotive Museum, but on Sunday, January 14, the stunning French coupe graced the field at the fourth-annual Arizona Concours d’Elegance, where it surpassed 89 other entrants to capture Best of Show honors.

Photo by Ken Bryant.

Displaying the car on the greens at the Arizona Biltmore was Warner Hall, a senior docent at the Mullin Museum, located in Oxnard, California. The Bugatti’s immaculate condition, coupled with its rarity, initially earned it a first-in-class ribbon in the Cars of Ettore and Jean Bugatti category (as well as the Make-A-Wish Foundation Kid’s Choice Award), and made it a strong contender for Best of Show. Still, Hall admits to being a bit surprised when the coupe was selected, saying, “We didn’t want to count on anything, especially in a field of cars this fabulous.”

The Bugatti’s riveted spine and fenders are among its most distinctive design traits. Photo by Larry Edsall.

The Bugatti was sold new to Nathaniel Mayer Victor Rothschild, the third Baron Rothschild, in September of 1936. After passing through a pair of owners in London, it was sold to Robert Oliver, an American serving with the Army Medical Corps, who exported it to the United States in 1946. When the car sold at auction in 1971, its hammer price of $59,000 set a record for an automobile sold at auction, and in 2010 it sold in a private transaction for a sum reported to be between $35 million and $40 million, enough to again qualify it as the most expensive automobile of the day.

This 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa Coupe, with Vignale coachwork, was also a finalist for Best of Show. Photo by Ken Bryant.

Three other cars were finalists for Best of Show honors at the Arizona Concours, including a 1937 Lagonda LG45 Rapide owned by the Stephens family of San Francisco, California; a 1933 Marmon V16 convertible coupe owned by Aaron and Valerie Weiss of San Marino, California; and a 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa coupe, with Vignale coachwork, owned by Kevin Cogan of Louisville, Kentucky.

Look for complete coverage of the 2017 Arizona Concours d’Elegance in the April issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car. Next year’s Arizona Concours d’Elegance, the fifth annual, is scheduled to take place on Sunday, January 14; for more information, visit ArizonaConcours.com.

Mason Hamiltonsays:

January 17, 2017 3:15 pm

One of my favorite cars of all times. Design wise – and critically – in spite of a sexiest of profiles – the front and rear designs are totally mismatched. This leaves the front looking unfinished with a roadster look – while the rear is aerodynamic and art deco – part of another car design process.

SuperCommandosays:

January 17, 2017 3:41 pm

I’m just a knuckledragging heathen, I know, but that Bug has always looked a little spindly and unfinished to me…skinny pos camber wheels and that strange riveted ridge. IIRC, the interior is pretty smashing though. Rarity and style does have its place and is priced accordingly. for that kind of money though, and I surely do not have it, I’d be more inclined to the just as stylish but more robust and masculine Duesenberg. Something for everyone in this hobby!

John C. Kovalosays:

January 18, 2017 11:56 am

Respectfully, Tissois, the other side of that coin is:
“un visage seule une mère pourrait aimer” – “a face only a Mother could love”, if I’ve translated correctly.

I’ve seen this car twice and have to admit the criticisms of it have some merit, especially compared with a “plain” Type 57, which is exotic enough. “It looks like an insect larva!” Exclaims my Fair Wife Sallie. The workmanship is incomparable, but I wonder if they’ve reached a bit too far.

ZJsays:

January 17, 2017 10:32 pm

Pity the poor pigeon who took off just a split second late, thought he’d cleared this car’s roof or fenders, only to come face to blade with those razor’s-edge riveted spines. Sour grapes, yes, but for once I’m kind of glad I can never come close to ever affording the world’s most expensive car. Looks about 36% aerodynamic, but easy to tow! 🙂

January 18, 2017 10:36 am

Howiesays:

January 18, 2017 10:57 am

Sal Pugliesesays:

January 18, 2017 11:43 am

Yes Brian, hindsight is 20/20… in the early ’70’s I had a chance to invest in a fledgling computer company MITS… with annual revenues of only $15,000 I didn’t see much upside … Changing its name to MICROSOFT a few years later, it went on to do pretty well!

David Bolinsays:

January 19, 2017 4:25 pm

Jesse Bowerssays:

January 20, 2017 2:00 am

and yet, the Mullin museum displays the car with a info board that claims the owner is Anonymous. I posted a big gallery of this car on JACG blog, and the photo of their baloney on their info board is right there. None of the docents would say who the owner was.